New black holes pop up in young galaxy

Astronomers have discovered what appear to be three fast-growing, supermassive black holes in a relatively young, still-forming galaxy.

“As far as the host galaxy is concerned, these just popped into existence,” says Kevin Schawinski, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. “They’re feeding on material about as fast as they can.”

Astronomers believe that standard black holes form when the center of a giant star collapses inward. But the formation of supermassive black holes is largely a mystery, one the recent discovery could help illuminate.